Crafty! A trip with real purls of wisdom
DREAMS of cruising again are becoming a reality, bringing opportunities to learn crafts, sail on new ships, enjoy autumn sun and see spectacular fireworks. Here’s how.
DAYS at sea give the luxury of time to get crafting, and a small-group knitting trip to Orkney and Shetland (whose sheep produce 11 colours of wool) is the perfect opportunity to learn new techniques and create something lovely, tutored by an expert who will also lead woolly excursions ashore. Join the new Fred Olsen ship Borealis in Liverpool for the five-night, round-trip cruise on August 28. The cost is from £1,449pp with Arena Travel (arenatravel.com).
A new line, Havila Voyages, is launching in Norway this summer with two state-of-the-art, eco-friendly ships. Battery-powered Havila Capella and Havila Castor will sail quietly and emissions-free in and out of the fjords and along the coast between Bergen and Kirkenes, high up in the Arctic Circle. Northern Lights voyages of 12 nights, departing in December, cost from £829pp with Mundy Cruising (mundycruising.co.uk or call 020 7399 7670).
Autumn is a glorious season to sail on the Douro river, when vine leaves turn golden and the grape harvest is at its height.
And you can gaze at the landscape, enjoying unlimited glasses of the region’s wines, by booking a cruise aboard Emerald Radiance (emeraldcruises.co.uk) by the end of this month. Along with a free Premium Drinks Package, there are savings of up to £700pp, with fares now starting at £1,945pp for the seven-night cruise departing from Portugal’s second city, Porto, on October 2, including excursions, tips and airport transfers.
And now is the time to book for next year’s Rhine In Flames cruise. You’ll be immersed in the festival, on the deck of A-Rosa Aqua, sailing after dark in a flotilla of hundreds of boats adorned with zillions of fairy lights, past castles lit up by fires along the riverbanks to a dazzling fireworks display in medieval St Goar.
The seven-night round trip from Cologne departs on September 11, 2022 and the cost, including flights, is from £1,529pp, booked through Travel Routes (travelroutes.co.uk).